Cook for a Crowd: Beer Cheese Soup from Packers QB Aaron Rodgers

Whether you’re turning on the Steelers/Bengals on Monday or gearing up for an NFL-filled Sunday, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is here to help. (Yes, even if you’re not a Green Bay fan.)

Because if the party’s at your house, you’ve got some hungry friends to feed. Who are only going to get hungrier as they drink all of your beer. And let’s face it—as tempting as it is to buy a few bags of pretzels and call it a day, it’ll be better for everyone if there’s real food to line your stomachs.

That’s where Rodgers comes in. Green Bay’s No. 12 co-owns a restaurant in the Milwaukee suburbs called Hom Wood Fired Grill (he can throw a football and he’s into food—marry us?).

One look at the menu and we wanted to recreate all of it, from buttermilk fried chicken to beer-braised short rib. When we asked for the best dish to serve a football-loving crowd, Hom Wood Fired Grill’s chef gave up his recipe for beer-cheese soup. It’s shown here with garlic sourdough croutons, but you can also garnish it with popcorn—so easy!

Make it before kickoff and keep it simmering on the stove to feed the whole gang. Just maybe not during a Bears game…

Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

Serves 15

5 onions, minced

3 carrots, minced

3 stalks celery, minced

1¼ lbs. butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

5 bottles dark beer

1 gallon chicken stock

2 qts. heavy cream

2 tbsp. dry mustard

⅓ cup Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups smoked Gouda cheese, grated

2 cups aged white cheddar cheese, grated

Garlic sourdough croutons or popcorn for garnish, if desired

1. In a large pot over low heat, cook the onions, carrots and celery in the butter until the veggies are translucent, stirring frequently so that little to no browning takes place.

2. Add the flour. Stir until combined, then cook for 2 minutes over low heat.